Scary Teachers - Good Teachers (was: Re: Hagrid and Snape...

[ClareWashbrook at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 152845

 
PERSPECTIVE ON TEACHERS:



Can I give a teacher's perspective here?  I teach English Literature  and 
Language to 11-18 yr olds.  In my faculty there are various kinds of  teachers.  
The most effective blend fear and interest.  There are  those who think of 
nothing but classroom management, they usually come across  badly because the 
subject matter suffers for their rules, but part of that is  the unpredictability 
of their rules because they are fearfully reactive (they  know that they 
don't have the power).  There are those who exist for fluffy  compassion - they 
are loved but only succeed with the non-problem  kids. 
I work within a house system, allied to one house (actually pretty much a  
chav equivalent of Slytherin) and teach only that house and the house which has  
mixed classes with them.  The other two houses have different  teachers.  My 
compassion and insight is reserved for my form as there is  only time to apply 
it there (an ideal is great but Time is the lord of all  teachers).  Two of 
us (myself being one) give out more punishments than  three other teachers 
combined, but only to specific classes because they provide  all of the hassle.  
Some kids like me, some kids hate me, some think that I  am out for their blood 
- some are right.  All teachers have favourites and  some let this be known.  
All teachers have children that they would rather  had never been born.  All 
teachers are hated by some children.  All  teachers have some students that 
they will instantly look to when something goes  wrong.  Teachers are human and 
children are not complete beings who  understand themselves and respond 
appropriately to the system (and the system is  flawed, fallible and inadequate to 
cater to all needs).  If Harry was in my  class he would be in a lot of 
trouble, as would Draco and Ron - they do not  accept their punishments, they talk 
back, they are off topic and focus on  matters that are not class oriented.  
 
What makes a good teacher?  One who gets the subject matter to  penetrate 
their skulls in a manner that sticks - the way this is achieved may be  variable 
or tried and tested but whatever works.  Who cares really?   If your kid is a 
little git and shouting at him will get him a C instead of a D  then who would 
decry the shouting?  Well, some do but they got Fs and  work in chip shops 
and buy fags for their 12 year olds.
 
Can a scary teacher be a good teacher?  Most good teachers are more  or less 
a little scary and most are a little funny but many students are too dim  to 
realise this.  Scary teachers are not always good teachers.  I  think that 
Snape is a good teacher to a certain extent.  His problem is  emotional 
personalisation - but I don't teach a subject where things explode,  nor am I a spy with 
death hanging over my head.  I'd act out a LOT if I  was.
 
Children are not all equal in potential, children cannot be saved or  overtly 
influenced as to their character by teachers.  Children are created  in being 
and bearing according to their upbringing.  Occassionally, very  
occassionally one gets a child who is something more, like Harry, the antithesis  of the 
socio-educational osmosis offered since birth.  They are so so  rare.  The 
abused child defecates in his pants, sets of fire alarms and  steals from 
potential friends.  The son of the bully bullies, threatens  teachers, storms out of 
school, smokes on the premises and gets arrested during  the holidays.  The 
child of a lawyer takes charge of her drama group and  stays after school for 
revision clubs.  The child of the parent who plays  it by ear and hopes it will 
all go well is confused and lost and never fails but  never achieves their 
potential.  
 
Teachers do not ruin lives, nor do they ruin education.  At most  they will 
put a student off a subject; I dropped geography to avoid a creep  myself  - 
that doesn't mean that I never learnt any during my lifetime  acquisition of 
world knowledge.
 
For the record, Hermione would annoy the hell out of me.  I had one  and 
although she knew the answers, she was self-obsessed and the teacher has to  give 
others their chance, no, their right to participate and  communicate.  One 
cannot always pander to the know it all, they will  succeed anyway and there are 
others who need to be pushed, prodded and  forced along the road to 
comprehension.
 
I am not Snape, but I do have my moments and there are five Snapes at my  
school.  Something to remember - if the teacher did not think that the  students 
were capable of doing it then it wouldn't matter to them, it wouldn't  
irritate them.  For a teacher to get wound up about a student they have to  both care 
and believe that the student has the potential to do better than they  are 
doing.
 
Just a perspective!
 
And another one is that JKR is not a teacher and the characters are meant  to 
signify other aspects of the plotline (such as problematic partisanship), not 
 necessarily embody a educational philosophy.



smiles,
Clare xx
(Please don't shoot me for that being personal; how could it not  be?)


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